Camping overnight being considered at Grafton park

Year-round cabins, new trails and recreation area part of plans

Updated 10:56 am, Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Visitors enjoy the sun and the sand at Grafton Lakes State Park in Grafton, N.Y., Sunday May 25, 2008. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union archive)

Visitors enjoy the sun and the sand at Grafton Lakes State Park in Grafton, N.Y., Sunday May 25, 2008. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union archive)

Photo: Paul Buckowski

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Visitors get set to head out on the water in paddle boats and rowboats at Grafton Lakes State Park in Grafton, N.Y., Sunday May 25, 2008. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union archive)

Visitors get set to head out on the water in paddle boats and rowboats at Grafton Lakes State Park in Grafton, N.Y., Sunday May 25, 2008. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union archive)

Photo: Paul Buckowski

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Chris Einstein, left, and his children Rose, 6, center, and Nate, 4, from Colonie, virtually had the Long Pond beach at Grafton lakes State Park to themselves Tuesday lunchtime, September 7, 2004. (Will Waldron / Times Union archive)

Chris Einstein, left, and his children Rose, 6, center, and Nate, 4, from Colonie, virtually had the Long Pond beach at Grafton lakes State Park to themselves Tuesday lunchtime, September 7, 2004. (Will Waldron

The agency would also study whether to add a second public beach on Long Pond to help reduce the crunch of bathers that sometimes jam the park's sole beach on hot summer days. Plans also call for about 4.5 miles of new trails, a new amphitheater and nature center, a rebuilt picnic area, new playgrounds, and basketball and boccie courts.

"We are looking at how to improve the park with its emphasis on its natural attractions, while also trying to keep it as desirable as possible to the many people who already love it," said Alane Ball Chinian, regional director for the agency's Saratoga-Capital District Region.

These would be the largest changes made to the park since it opened in 1971 off Route 2 in the eastern Rensselaer County town of Grafton.

Long one of the most popular state parks in the region and less than a half-hour car ride from downtown Albany, Grafton Lakes drew more than 230,000 people during 2010-11, according to state figures.

More Information

For more information

DEC: http://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/20120125_not4.html

Public comments are being taken by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation through Feb. 8 and can be made through Alane Ball Chinian, NYS OPRHP — Saratoga-Capital District Region, 19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs, or (518) 584-2000; or Thomas. B. Lyons, NYS OPRHP — Resource Management, Agency Building 1, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 12238, or (518) 474-0409.

The park already has about 21 miles of trails, five picnic areas, seven day-use pavilion and tent sites, and seasonal rentals of boats and snowshoes. But there has been no overnight camping.

"The Grafton area is one of the most beautiful areas of Rensselaer County and upstate New York, and expanding opportunities at the park will help boost tourism efforts. At the same time, we are concerned about an increased demand on emergency services, including fire and ambulance service, provided in this small community," said Rensselaer County Legislator Lester Goodermote, who represents Grafton.

Chinian said the plan, which is up for public comment through Feb. 8, could take between 10 and 15 years to implement fully. She said it was premature to say when work might start, if the plan is approved. No price tag has been set for the work.

Further study would have to be done to determine how many campsites and cabins could be built, she said. "There is a demand for camping at Grafton," she said, noting that state campgrounds nearest to Grafton — Moreau in Saratoga County and Thompson's Lake in Albany County — are often full in the summer.

Under the plan, campsites and seasonal cabins would be placed at the north side of the beach area, along the road to the water tower. Four-season cabins would be installed at the former YMCA campground at the White Lily Pond entrance.

The south picnic area would be rehabilitated, the amphitheater pavilion would be replaced with a larger version, and a new playground would be installed. The north picnic grove would be closed, and allowed to revert to nature. Full basketball courts would be installed at the Rabbit Run and Deerfield areas, and a boccie court added to Deerfield.

The historic Dickinson Hill fire tower, a 60-foot tower from the 1920s with commanding views of region, would be repaired and opened for public viewing.

It is the only remaining fire tower in the county and provides views including Mt. Marcy and the High Peaks in the Adirondacks, the Green Mountains of Vermont, the Taconic Range that forms the border between New York and Massachusetts to the east and the Helderberg Mountains to the south and west.

State land south of Route 2 at the Martin-Dunham Reservoir would be designated a parkland preservation area. The existing C9 snowmobile trail would be retained, while the S99F snowmobile trail would be closed.